In the diaspora, as common as you will find staunch defenders of Eastern and Oriental tradition, maybe more so, I really don't know. For the Maronites, many of these communities were born out of the care of American Roman Catholic prelates, often times growing with Latinizations; these people don't even know what's not their tradition.

Peace and God Bless.

This makes even more sad that they are being forced out of their homeland. They will be forced to migrate to western countries that will not be tollerant of their traditions and the tradition will be lost. It is sad.

I was very sad to see the archives of the Eastern Christianity taken out of public view. I enjoyed going back and reading those threads. Especially the one about Halloween that Father Ambrose contributed. I am still kicking myself for not saving the link to that blog he posted.

What a joy to be welcomed so warmly here by all the admins. and moderators!! Never got any kind of welcome even close to that by the CAF folks. I wonder if that, too, reflects a difference between the Orthodox and RC world-views? Just a (tiny) thought!

Thank you all so much!

Many blessings,Jeff

Do the moderators and admins welcome everyone on this forum - or just us refugees? It might not be fair to compare this warm welcome to that on CAF as I don't recall there being such a large concentrated influx coming to CAF at any one time.

Regardless of the answer, the welcome here is comforting and I am appreciative of it.

Thank you OrthodoxChristianity.net

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Through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, may Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.

Pray that we may be one, as Christ and His Father are one. (John 17:20ff)

Hello,I have seen you (and maybe one or two others) use this phrase of experiences recently. What exactly do you mean by it?

Coder,

The reason why we are being so staunch is because the new trend is to deny that our experiences as Eastern and Oriental Christians are not valid, as in is wrong, because it violates some notion that all Eastern and Oriental Catholics are in some romantic unity, or at least right now they should be. I find this unhealthy for dialogue, for it is not being honest at the disunity that does exist, and creating some mass statement like, "well, it should be this otherwise you are not Catholic," doesn't even address the issues.

Like I said on CAF, the same issues that separate Orthodoxy exist in the Catholic Communion. The sooner we recognize the fact, and be honest about our positions, we can try and hash out these issues.

I just posted on CA that I will not accept these either. It appears that the administration is preparing a response on the staff chat, but I can't be sure. It also seems that Joe Monahan is no longer a moderator...

here is their response;

Quote

Thank you for bearing with us while we get the new Eastern Catholicism forum up and running. We have received a number of concerns over the past week. Perhaps this is the best place to try and answer at once the key issues that have been raised. So we are speaking in general to all of the members who have voiced concerns and not specifically to the issues raised above.

1 - CAF is an expensive site to run. The management, administrative, technical, moderation, and infrastructure costs are significant. It does not pay its own way.

2 - In fact, it is only through the good graces of several individuals who are willing to put in long, uncompensated hours, oft-times in the wee hours, that we are able to keep CAF online. Asking them to do even more is not possible. Because of this, situations that increase CAF's costs and administrative time generally must be viewed with a keen eye and a sharp pencil. Hindrances to the smooth functioning of the site increase costs. We believe that keeping our costs low is an important guiding principle for CAF, one that is certainly not unreasonable.

3 - That some guests were unwilling to adhere to even basic rules of civility has unfortunately been the case and has had to be dealt with in a strict manner. We believe this too is reasonable and ask you to look at it from our point of view: Would you allow a house guest to remain after he showed disrespect to others and repeatedly mischaracterized, even bad-mouthed, you? Belligerence by parties (on both sides) in the old EC forum had risen to the point where several members (on both sides) had to be suspended or put under review. We cannot and will not discuss individual cases. All that can be said here is that several of the individuals affected (on both sides) have been spinning the situation to put themselves in a favorable light. It does not surprise us to see that belligerence and pride can cloud objectivity, although we regret that the situation has taken such a turn in some quarters.

4 - The situation in the old forum had deteriorated to the point where many CAF members felt driven out or were unwilling to venture into that forum because of the behaviors therein. This was clearly an untenable situation necessitating that we act quickly and decisively. That some now see rule enforcement as somehow "unfair" is an indication of just how bad a turn the situation had taken.

5 – While it may be obvious, it bears repeating: The purpose of CAF is to serve Catholics and non-Catholics who are willing to come together for discussions while complying with the rules. In order to meet these objectives better, we are simply moving in a new direction, getting "back to basics" if you will. Perhaps this should have been the first step a few years ago. We know many members think so. Given this new direction at CAF we are strictly enforcing the rules and hope that those who enjoy this site will bear with us through the rough patches.

6 – The forums are provided to the community at large on an "at will" basis. If the process of changing direction has resulted in shock or hurt feelings, we sympathize and hope in turn that you can sympathize with our position. However, we simply do not have the time and resources to engage in group (let alone one-on-one) consultations. If there are those among you whose needs are no longer being met by CAF, we apologize for the inconvenience and wish you luck in finding a more suitable venue. We trust that most members will work with us to create a safe, pleasant, charitable atmosphere in the new Eastern Catholicism forum and find in it a place that will meet their needs.

7 - While we look for an oversight team appropriate for the new Eastern Catholicism forum, we ask that members bear with us in the interim. We hope to have it in place in very short order (days, not weeks).

8 - As noted elsewhere, the old EC forum has been pulled for review. We hope to return reference material to the new EC forum in short order.

Thank you again for your patience. It is our hope and prayer that CAF remains a pleasant experience for all its members.

I just posted on CA that I will not accept these either. It appears that the administration is preparing a response on the staff chat, but I can't be sure. It also seems that Joe Monahan is no longer a moderator...

Yes, I noticed that he is now a "retired" moderator. I sent him a private message just after the crackdown began, but he never responded. He was always fair to me, and I wish him the best.

Logged

"All that the Father has belongs likewise to the Son, except Causality." St. Gregory Nazianzen

"We should believe that divine grace is present in the icon of Christ and that it communicates sanctification to those who draw near with faith."St. Theodore Studite

The reason why we are being so staunch is because the new trend is to deny that our experiences as Eastern and Oriental Christians are not valid, as in is wrong, because it violates some notion that all Eastern and Oriental Catholics are in some romantic unity, or at least right now they should be. I find this unhealthy for dialogue, for it is not being honest at the disunity that does exist, and creating some mass statement like, "well, it should be this otherwise you are not Catholic," doesn't even address the issues.

Like I said on CAF, the same issues that separate Orthodoxy exist in the Catholic Communion. The sooner we recognize the fact, and be honest about our positions, we can try and hash out these issues.

Peace and God Bless.

O.K. I think I may understand what you are saying.

Logged

Through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, may Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.

Pray that we may be one, as Christ and His Father are one. (John 17:20ff)

Yes, he has mentioned you Apotheoun. He mentioned that he learned a great deal from you. I just met him this semester.

He and several other of my friends at FUS gave me a beautiful icon of St. Gregory Palamas, which I will always cherish, both because I am devoted to the doctor of the uncreated energies, but also because of the wonderful people who gave the icon to me.

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"All that the Father has belongs likewise to the Son, except Causality." St. Gregory Nazianzen

"We should believe that divine grace is present in the icon of Christ and that it communicates sanctification to those who draw near with faith."St. Theodore Studite

Yes, I noticed that he is now a "retired" moderator. I sent him a private message just after the crackdown began, but he never responded. He was always fair to me, and I wish him the best.

Yes, he was extremely fair to both sides. I always felt there was alot more freedom to express views. Perhaps that's why he's now "retired." There were a great amount of threads that got out of hand, but I learned so much more from them. He probably got asked to take a break because of the huge freedom. Very few people got banned on the EC's...

Indeed! I'm sure, however, that they would say, "It's our web-site and we'll do with it what we want!" And as far as that goes, it's true. But the spirit of what they have done most definitely resembles a book burning.

Blessings,Jeff

Sort of like Cardinal Humbert saying "It's our Church and we'll do with her what we want."

It seems all of us here, even those under Rome, had the same response to such a mentality.

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Question a friend, perhaps he did not do it; but if he did anything so that he may do it no more.A hasty quarrel kindles fire,and urgent strife sheds blood.If you blow on a spark, it will glow;if you spit on it, it will be put out; and both come out of your mouth

Hello,Do the moderators and admins welcome everyone on this forum - or just us refugees? It might not be fair to compare this warm welcome to that on CAF as I don't recall there being such a large concentrated influx coming to CAF at any one time.

Regardless of the answer, the welcome here is comforting and I am appreciative of it.

Thank you OrthodoxChristianity.net

We welcome everyone! It brings both Anastasios and myself great satisfaction to see the site that started with a small handful of people blossom into the community it has become. Check out a recent thread in Board News on the history of OC.net to learn more.

There was another one from Steubenville, a Chaldean whose name began with an "R," who also made valuable contributions. Is he still around too?

I feel like I'm in a displaced persons camp.

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Question a friend, perhaps he did not do it; but if he did anything so that he may do it no more.A hasty quarrel kindles fire,and urgent strife sheds blood.If you blow on a spark, it will glow;if you spit on it, it will be put out; and both come out of your mouth

Bummer! When will I learn to never put off till tomorrow what you can backup today.

Hello; brother coder is it ...i liked the way you defended your faith on catholic answers forum ,,you really put up some powerful responses in defense of what you believe,,,keep up the good work ,,,,brother stashko

Yes, he was extremely fair to both sides. I always felt there was a lot more freedom to express views. Perhaps that's why he's now "retired." There were a great amount of threads that got out of hand, but I learned so much more from them. He probably got asked to take a break because of the huge freedom. Very few people got banned on the EC's...

"Retired" is another lie from that board... They PAY their moderators, and Joe, who loved us Orthodox Christians and made sure that the few we had there were protected against the thousands of RC posters who would cheerfully have run us through, had they been given the chance, just as they are now doing to the EC's on the new section... Joe needed the money he was making there - I pray he has found another job... He was fair and protective at the same time, and I loved him, even though I still have the bruises of his ruler across the backs of my cyber-miscreantic hands!

He was terminated, and the termination was covered up, along with the rest of what they did...

Ghosty, another stand-up guy with whom I profoundly disagreed, but nevertheless utterly respected [he thinks there is no contradiction between the Creed with the Filioque in Latin and the Creed without it in Greek, for instance...] while sympathiizing with the move, because there was heat in the postings from the Orthodox there - eg the MORAL implications to the RC positions were DRAWN, rather than politely ignored - well, Ghosty is fed up and dismayed at what he is seeing them doing, and is about ready to leave - It is the cover-up that won't pass the sniff test that is driving him off... And he was their best poster by far...

Arsenios

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Reader Arsenios

Watch what you do...You may be the only Bible...That some will ever read...

"Retired" is another lie from that board... They PAY their moderators, and Joe, who loved us Orthodox Christians and made sure that the few we had there were protected against the thousands of RC posters who would cheerfully have run us through, had they been given the chance, just as they are now doing to the EC's on the new section... Joe needed the money he was making there - I pray he has found another job... He was fair and protective at the same time, and I loved him, even though I still have the bruises of his ruler across the backs of my cyber-miscreantic hands!

He was terminated, and the termination was covered up, along with the rest of what they did...

Ghosty, another stand-up guy with whom I profoundly disagreed, but nevertheless utterly respected [he thinks there is no contradiction between the Creed with the Filioque in Latin and the Creed without it in Greek, for instance...] while sympathiizing with the move, because there was heat in the postings from the Orthodox there - eg the MORAL implications to the RC positions were DRAWN, rather than politely ignored - well, Ghosty is fed up and dismayed at what he is seeing them doing, and is about ready to leave - It is the cover-up that won't pass the sniff test that is driving him off... And he was their best poster by far...

Arsenios

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly, Joe Monahan was above reproach when it came to being fair across the theological spectrum of opinions. I was suspended by Joe on a few occassions but I knew I deserved them.

Joe would always PM me with a kind message as to why he had to do what he did. I always commended him on his fair handling of sensitive subjects. I will miss his input on many subjects. He was helpful in directing the thread into calmer waters many times. Yes, he will be missed.

If Joe Monahan gets the chance to view our posts here Im sure all of us refugees wish him success and good health in anything he intends doing in the future.

Hello; brother coder is it ...i liked the way you defended your faith on catholic answers forum ,,you really put up some powerful responses in defense of what you believe,,,keep up the good work ,,,,brother stashko

I have always had the feeling on CA that the Roman west looked down their theological noses at us in the east for some reason. They view us as an anachronism of sorts, out of touch with reality and not relevant in this modern world. If this doesnt solidify my beliefs I dont know what else would. The whole point in this life is NOT to be relevant, at least that is what I was taugh anyway. My personal feelings, barring the idea that those left behind will now get their info on Eastern spiritualization which will now be filtered and scrutinized, is that they may have done us a good favor without us knowing it. Actually, I feel as if a heavy burden has been lifted but I dont know why just yet. But I do feel a lot better.

PS, I do miss the voluminous choices of smily faces though. They seemed to convey the feeling of the post. Maybe someone can come up with those animated version of the smily faces sometime?

We made a gallant foray into their camp and made off with many worthy spoils...

And shamed them properly, as they so richly deserved...

It would be a lot of fun to invite those in communion with the Pope to come over here to find out about what has been being hidden from them, and about Orthodoxy, should they have questions... I do not know if their board would allow that...

I mean, it is as if a Nash Rambler, reliable and slow, got yoked up with an Indy Car... They simply HAD to break off... And there was no way to do it cleanly... And now they are reviewing the whole of Eastern Christianity, before they allow anything to be made available to the list... By their deeds shall they be known...

Should we have kept a lower profile and plundered them longer? Maybe... But I sure like the idea of exposing those hiding in the bushes for who they really are, and what they really will do... By their doing it... The only greater joy would be in seeing their repentance from having done it...

Arsenios

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Reader Arsenios

Watch what you do...You may be the only Bible...That some will ever read...

We made a gallant foray into their camp and made off with many worthy spoils...

And shamed them properly, as they so richly deserved...

It would be a lot of fun to invite those in communion with the Pope to come over here to find out about what has been being hidden from them, and about Orthodoxy, should they have questions... I do not know if their board would allow that...

I mean, it is as if a Nash Rambler, reliable and slow, got yoked up with an Indy Car... They simply HAD to break off... And there was no way to do it cleanly... And now they are reviewing the whole of Eastern Christianity, before they allow anything to be made available to the list... By their deeds shall they be known...

Should we have kept a lower profile and plundered them longer? Maybe... But I sure like the idea of exposing those hiding in the bushes for who they really are, and what they really will do... By their doing it... The only greater joy would be in seeing their repentance from having done it...

They made that whole board as a place for Roman Catholics to hang out and talk about their faith... And it was so well done that they attracted a LOT of readers [65,000??], and in the process, some pretty good apologists, and they expanded to have discussions with Protestants, and then, in a generous ecumenical mind, hoping for peace talks with their "other lung", the Eastern Orthodox Church, they opened up the Eastern Christianity board... But the whole show was still primarily a place for Catholics to hang out and talk with each other... They had their "toughs" to handle the Protestants, and the eastern Churches in communion with Rome were no problem, but when they ran into the EO's, they were simply outclassed in every way... The Indy Car of the EO posters was a sledge hammer smashing a flea on an anvil, because the western mindset of the Roman Church in that Board was primarily a family show for their faithful... They did not know what would come to them through their family oriented generosity...

And this in a way is reflected in their spirituality of service to the poor, vs our focus on the creation of saints in monastic struggle and prayer... Mother Theresa vs St. Gregory Palamas... Where theology is relegated to the classrooms of Scholasticism, and true spirituality in service to the poor... [Yet look what happened to poor Mother Theresa!]

So that when the family sedan of being nice to one another and keeping fuzzy on theological issues and no existing rigor of Church praxis of the Faith, they were simply outclassed and overrun... Ghosty was not, but neither did his view hold up well...

Their complaint that we were in their [eg family] living room and were behaving badly is reflective of the dismay they felt and the sense of betrayal they had at being run roughshod over by a small group of Orthodox posters who were both articulate and educated, like Isa, and inarticulate and uneducated, like me! We all had a field day, and they are now sitting with the nightmares of their own deeds to eject the ungrateful plunderers of their ranks who do not respect Romes presumed "AUTHORITY"...

We went in there on the premise that Orthodoxy is authoritative without being authoritarian... Bishops can err... Any bishop can err... Even one divinely illumined...

So that the more I think about what they did, the less I am inclined to hold their feet to the fire... They have to deal with issues of conscience - It looks like they have sanitized [eg removed my posts and many others] from an old thread and re-posted it on "Why Would a Roman Catholic Convert to Orthodoxy?" - So it looks like they are TRYING to get at least some of the threads back on the boards, if somewhat neutered... http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=196984

I mean, if that had happened to a bunch of parish Orthodox folks who had a board for their discussions, I do not think the results would have been much different... Even though here, they are welcome, for we are not unaware of their purposes and needs... I can't believe I am actually feeling SORRY FOR them...

Lord have Mercy!

Arsenios

« Last Edit: November 13, 2007, 01:28:02 AM by maqhth »

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Reader Arsenios

Watch what you do...You may be the only Bible...That some will ever read...

i knew something like this would happen, i once told the EO posters on the CAF, that dont entertain conversion procedures asked to them since CAF is a catholic website and a little respect to the website is to be expected. they can use PM instead. However, i was bombarded with hate replies, as though the EO posters owns the website. A little respect could prevented things. Listening is a great virtue.

i knew something like this would happen, i once told the EO posters on the CAF, that dont entertain conversion procedures asked to them since CAF is a catholic website and a little respect to the website is to be expected. they can use PM instead. However, i was bombarded with hate replies, as though the EO posters owns the website. A little respect could prevented things. Listening is a great virtue.

Hey Everyone, I post over at CAF, but came over here from a link on the new Eastern Catholicism forum. I just wanted to suggest - since I never was part of the thing at the Eastern Christianity forum that it would be interesting to post some thread similar to those (with the exception of any personal attacks) on here. I would be interested in seeing these apologetic arguments that are so powerful that no Latin could answer them.

Catholig

"A" thread? <chuckle>

Take a few 'minutes' and peruse the 'Orthodox-Catholic Discussion' boards here. You'll find plenty; IIRC, the "Thou Art Peter' thread was a quite memorable.

I have to agree with my brethren that the closure of the Eastern Christianity Forum at CAF is a sad end to a place where dialogue did happen - although it was sometimes hot and heavy. Sadder still is the removal of the archived material from public accessibility. In addition to all of the debate, there were significant numbers of threads that involved no argumentation, but were purely informative and educational. They included whole threads heavy with photos of temples and iconostases that evidenced the heavenly beauty of which the Russian legates spoke on their return from Constantinople. Others were replete with links to all manner of informative sites and texts. The polemics of either side apart, it was a treasure trove of information - pure and simple.

These past few days, I've been posting at CAF, something of which I've not done much in a while. But, in looking at the new Eastern Catholicism Forum, it seemed to be populated chiefly by Latin Catholics with little or no knowledge or understanding of the East, and appearing to have as their mission to "out" Eastern Catholics as really being Orthodox in disguise. Thus, I felt compelled to wade in and offer some accurate answers to the genuine queries, the baiting ones, and the outright strange ones. It's not something that I'll do for long, I don't think. It shows every indication of fast becoming the same type of forum that one sees on all the other Latin boards which have an Eastern Catholic forum - a place where the curious will come and innocently ask a question - only to receive an erroneous answer offered with certitude by a Latin Catholic, based on what he "once heard" or "remembers reading".

And looking at the few lonely threads regarding Orthodoxy on the Non-Catholic Religions Forum there is too depressing to deserve comment.

In short measure, it will again come down to there being only 2 places on-line where Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox "dialogue, discuss, debate, educate, and are educated about each others' Churches" (think that was more or less the way that my friend and brother, Joe, used to describe the purpose of the former EC forum at CAF) - here and at ByzCath.

I don't get a lot of time to post lately at either site, because of the time demands of a project on which I'm working, but it's good to see so many of the CA regulars gathered here - both those of us who have been here in the past and those who've newly found it.

Many years,

Neil

« Last Edit: November 13, 2007, 08:08:39 AM by Irish Melkite »

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"Not only is it unnecessary to adopt the customs of the Latin Rite to manifest one's Catholicism, it is an offense against the unity of the Church."

Hello; brother coder is it ...i liked the way you defended your faith on catholic answers forum ,,you really put up some powerful responses in defense of what you believe,,,keep up the good work ,,,,brother stashko

Yes, it is I. I am flattered by your comments. I choose Athanasios in honor of Saint Athanasios of Alexandria (Greek spelling, Athanasius was already taken I believe). I can't remember clearly why I didn't use JMJ_coder, as this is the only forum that I don't use it.

But, anyways, it is good to see so many of the old gang here.

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Through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, may Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.

Pray that we may be one, as Christ and His Father are one. (John 17:20ff)

The whole point in this life is NOT to be relevant, at least that is what I was taugh anyway.

I don't know about that. I don't think it is proper to actively try to be irrelevant. I was taught to have a detachment from caring whether you are relevant or not. Proclaim the Truth, in-season/out-of-season, convenient/inconvenient.

Peace

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Through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, may Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.

Pray that we may be one, as Christ and His Father are one. (John 17:20ff)

And this in a way is reflected in their spirituality of service to the poor, vs our focus on the creation of saints in monastic struggle and prayer... Mother Theresa vs St. Gregory Palamas... Where theology is relegated to the classrooms of Scholasticism, and true spirituality in service to the poor... [Yet look what happened to poor Mother Theresa!]

I always see true spirituality (regardless of tradition) as combining both prayer and service. Remember Faith working unto Charity - and Christ tells us that what you do the least of His brethren, you do to Him (i.e., clothe naked, feed hungry, visit sick, etc.). We are also to pray without ceasing (though this doesn't necessarily mean active vocal and/or mental prayer).

As an aside, to discuss Mother Teresa (if it is even any of our business), we would have to have a nice long dialogue on what exactly the Catholic Church means by a dark night.

Peace.

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Through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, may Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.

Pray that we may be one, as Christ and His Father are one. (John 17:20ff)

I believe that C Answers found themselves in a quandary. I cannot help but to see myself as an example. Born and raised Roman Catholic, I canonically switched to the Ruthenian Catholic Church after 35 + years. As a Byzantine Catholic, I was exposed to everything Orthodox. When I found C Answers, I was a staunch defender of Rome and I debated rigorously with the Orthodox members in defence of communion with Rome. At times I had some monumental battles--hi Bob!

But as I studied the faith, I slowly came to learn that my arguments were not holding as much water as I had anticipated. After much study, prayer, and discernment I came home to Holy Orthodoxy. Suddenly, I found myself shoulder to shoulder with the same people that I vigorously opposed. The Roman Catholics were not pleased. I received some disconcerting private messages.

In short, I discovered that you cannot oppose the truth. Holy Orthodoxy effortlessly answers all Roman Catholic objections. The cause of my conversion was not the Orthodox posters at Catholic Answers. It was the Holy Spirit revealing the truth to my heart. Ironically, I believe that more people may consider Holy Orthodoxy after they witness the oppressive measures that were taken by the moderators.

I learned much from my years on that forum. I thank all of my Orthodox and Eastern Catholic brethren for the wonderful information they contributed. And I ask forgiveness for all I may have offended.

Special thanks to Arsenios and others who posted the information about the movie "Ostrov". I weep every time I watch it. This movie truly conveys the essence of Holy Orthodoxy!

I have to agree with my brethren that the closure of the Eastern Christianity Forum at CAF is a sad end to a place where dialogue did happen - although it was sometimes hot and heavy. Sadder still is the removal of the archived material from public accessibility. In addition to all of the debate, there were significant numbers of threads that involved no argumentation, but were purely informative and educational. They included whole threads heavy with photos of temples and iconostases that evidenced the heavenly beauty of which the Russian legates spoke on their return from Constantinople. Others were replete with links to all manner of informative sites and texts. The polemics of either side apart, it was a treasure trove of information - pure and simple.

These past few days, I've been posting at CAF, something of which I've not done much in a while. But, in looking at the new Eastern Catholicism Forum, it seemed to be populated chiefly by Latin Catholics with little or no knowledge or understanding of the East, and appearing to have as their mission to "out" Eastern Catholics as really being Orthodox in disguise. Thus, I felt compelled to wade in and offer some accurate answers to the genuine queries, the baiting ones, and the outright strange ones. It's not something that I'll do for long, I don't think. It shows every indication of fast becoming the same type of forum that one sees on all the other Latin boards which have an Eastern Catholic forum - a place where the curious will come and innocently ask a question - only to receive an erroneous answer offered with certitude by a Latin Catholic, based on what he "once heard" or "remembers reading".

And looking at the few lonely threads regarding Orthodoxy on the Non-Catholic Religions Forum there is too depressing to deserve comment...

Many years,

Neil

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Hello Neil!

It's nice to run into you again!

I agree with everything you have stated here. I always appreciated the informative and detailed contributions you and others made, and the reference threads Joe put together. What a shame...

I hope to run into you more often now that I am "freelancing" and not committed to one forum.

In Christ,Michael

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"Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living" Jaroslav Pelikan

I believe that C Answers found themselves in a quandary. I cannot help but to see myself as an example. Born and raised Roman Catholic, I canonically switched to the Ruthenian Catholic Church after 35 + years. As a Byzantine Catholic, I was exposed to everything Orthodox. When I found C Answers, I was a staunch defender of Rome and I debated rigorously with the Orthodox members in defence of communion with Rome. At times I had some monumental battles--hi Bob!

But as I studied the faith, I slowly came to learn that my arguments were not holding as much water as I had anticipated. After much study, prayer, and discernment I came home to Holy Orthodoxy. Suddenly, I found myself shoulder to shoulder with the same people that I vigorously opposed. The Roman Catholics were not pleased. I received some disconcerting private messages.

In short, I discovered that you cannot oppose the truth. Holy Orthodoxy effortlessly answers all Roman Catholic objections. The cause of my conversion was not the Orthodox posters at Catholic Answers. It was the Holy Spirit revealing the truth to my heart. Ironically, I believe that more people may consider Holy Orthodoxy after they witness the oppressive measures that were taken by the moderators.

I learned much from my years on that forum. I thank all of my Orthodox and Eastern Catholic brethren for the wonderful information they contributed. And I ask forgiveness for all I may have offended.

Special thanks to Arsenios and others who posted the information about the movie "Ostrov". I weep every time I watch it. This movie truly conveys the essence of Holy Orthodoxy!

Peace and blessings to all!

Mickey

Amazing story Mickey, and very well balanced. Thanks. Being "cradle" Orthodox, I personally love hearing about people's different journeys to Orthodoxy, and I've watched many of these journeys in the past few years on OCnet. To give you guys some idea of how insulated my life is: I never knew Catholic Answers Forum even existed before you guys started this thread!I'm also learning a lot about being a moderator listening to you guys, and the responsibility it carries. I really feel for the moderator you guys mention, Joe Monahan, and you all obviously liked him.

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If you're living a happy life as a Christian, you're doing something wrong.